In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Dominic Sacco of British eSports Association explains the ways how grassroots can help the survival of eSports community in the UK.
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Manchester United are still on course to qualify for the Champions League via the Europa League after a Marcus Rashford free kick registered a crucial away goal in their two-legged squabble with Celta Vigo.
Despite Jose Mourinho’s lack of interest in the Europa League, the bookies have made them favourites from the moment they kicked a ball. Today, Mourinho is very interested in this competition, and they remain the bookie’s favourites after a comfortable one-nil win in Spain.
Bodog had United pegged at the +115 favourite to return from Celta Vigo with a win tucked underneath their shorts. The brilliant Marcus Rashford made sure of that, just as he did against Anderlecht in the quarter-finals.
The teenager scored a brilliant free kick in the 67th minute to take them into their second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday in a position of strength.
While the world may know the Casse barn for its work in campaigning two-time champion turf female Tepin, Classic Empire may be the poster boy for the resolve of the connections who say they want a Derby triumph above all prizes.
The Mississippi House Speaker has created a study group, the purpose of which is to study why a lottery would be bad for Mississippi.Starting a Lottery, Mississippi, Study, Government
Casino operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MRE) was firing on all cylinders in the first quarter of 2017, with strong results in both Macau and Manila.
Figures released Thursday show MRE (formerly known as Melco Crown Entertainment) generating revenue of $1.277b in the three months ending March 31, a 16% rise over the same period last year. Adjusted earnings were up 42% to $353.3m and profit nearly tripled to $113.4m.
The gains were down to a number of factors, including a fully ramped up Studio City, which was still finding its feet in Q1 2016 after opening in Macau the previous October, a market-wide rebound in Macau’s VIP gaming sector and another record performance by City of Dreams Manila.
The original City of Dreams in Macau remains MRE’s flagship property, although its revenue was up only a modest 2% to $693m and earnings rose 4% to $213.5m. VIP turnover rose more than one quarter, although this gain was blunted as VIP win fell half a point to 2.7%. The property’s mass table drop and gaming machine handle both suffered modest declines.
Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, believes Juegos Miami (May 31 – June 2, The Biltmore, Miami) is fulfilling one of its founding objectives to provide a focal point for discussions surrounding the sensible and sustainable regulation of gaming in the LatAm region.
Speaking ahead of the second edition of the bespoke, C-Level, invitation-only event, she confirmed: “Alongside the senior decision makers from operating companies, the industry thought leaders and the gaming innovators that will be with us, I am delighted that Juegos Miami is also attracting key regulators and the trade bodies who will be working together to develop sustainable and socially responsible gaming economies in the region.
“Juegos Miami is the only event that the SEAE secretary from the Brazilian Ministry of Finance will be speaking at, which reflects positively on the stature of the event and how Juegos Miami is perceived by the non-commercial decision makers. We are hopeful the Ministry of Finance will use the opportunity provided by Juegos Miami to report on the current status of legal gaming and the planned structure for sportsbetting in the country. I think this level of engagement underlines the event’s status as a must-attend for organisations seeking first-mover advantage in what is one of gaming’s most exciting and dynamic regions.”
Trade bodies in the region, many of whom are official supporters of Juegos Miami, recognise the important political role played by professional and well run events which deliver a combination of regional insight and global engagement. Dr. Miguel Ángel Ochoa Sánchez, Presidente of AIEJA, stated: “One of the greatest obstacles facing the development of the gaming industry in Mexico is the lack of legal stability for potential investors. Unfortunately, the Senate in our country has not considered this among their priorities until now. The opportunity to reinforce the importance of this topic from the platform that is Juegos Miami only serves to bolster our efforts in this sense”.
Industry-leading sports betting solutions provider adds unique live feature to boost conversion and engagement.
SBTech has announced the launch of ProAct – its new Live Chat tool for the Chameleon360 iGaming platform. This additional feature enhances the all-round quality of the CRM systems supplied to SBTech’s rapidly growing portfolio of international partners.
ProAct is a cutting-edge multilingual tool which represents another key differentiator offered to SBTech-powered sports betting and casino operators. Conceived as a central component of the company’s best-in-class Omni-channel product, it is unique in the industry in terms of delivering proactive engagement across all channels, complete with customer triggers to alert agents instantly to the exact requirements of each player.
Carefully calibrated pushes deliver messaging to specific segments, with automated responses associated with different products, verticals, languages and topics available to streamline the handling of all customer queries. Customised client KPIs are fully integrated, with all information related to transactions, betting history and promotion uptake on hand to provide better customer support. Advanced filters, meanwhile, permit the upload of custom lists of players and allow the creation of bespoke agent groups based on customer demand and segmentation. The tool also incorporates post-chat survey functionality, for garnering feedback about agent performance for training and overall UI/UX.
The 2017 Kentucky Derby has four clear-cut favorites atop the betting board led by Classic Empire at +425 (wager $100 to win $425). But an unfavorable post position for Classic Empire at No. 14 gives three other horses – Always Dreaming (+450), McCraken (+600) and Irish War Cry (+600) – a solid shot to win the 143rd Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday as well.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Only two horses have ever won the Kentucky Derby from the No. 14 spot, with the last coming way back in 1961 (Carry Back). One favorable trend for Classic Empire though is the fact that the favorite has won the first Triple Crown race each of the last four years.
Classic Empire won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year and will be trying to follow in the footsteps of Nyquist (2016) and Street Sense (2007) as previous winners of both that race and the Kentucky Derby. Classic Empire also won the Arkansas Derby.
After Joey Ingram intimated on Instagram that he was interested in finding the next ‘six-year-old Phil Hellmuth’ I ask a few poker pros to help me figure out if he is insane or is onto something special.
I have thought about meaning and purpose a lot since I quit alcohol seven years ago. Life before the worm was confusing. I couldn’t separate reality from illusion. I never knew who wore a mask, and who was staring through eyeballs steeped in authenticity.
I had a few questions.
What was the point of school?
Clarion Gaming, which works with the industry to deliver a host of world class business-to-business gaming events, including, ICE (London), Japan Gaming Congress (Tokyo), Juegos Miami
Entrants to the European Dealer Championships
(Miami), Brazil Gaming Congress (Sao Paulo) and EiG (Berlin), has joined the roster of sponsors that are supporting the European Dealer Championship, which is being held this year at the Hippodrome Casino, London (8th – 10th May).
Confirming the sponsorship, Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, said: “We have a long standing and progressive relationship with the European Casino Association, and I am delighted to be part of the community of gaming organisations that are supporting their Dealer Championship. As well as providing a modern environment for international gaming organisations to conduct business, our remit is to recognise excellence and to reflect the exceptionally high standards of professionalism within gaming.
In this week’s Pokerography series, Lee Davy takes a look at Bernadette Jiwa’s new book Hunch: Turn Your Everyday Insights Into The Next Big Thing and reminds us of the importance of switching that mobile phone off at the poker table.
You know that kid Haley Joel Osment who can see dead people? Well, I’m like that, only the people I see lying in my bed in the early hours of the morning – usually an old lady with rotting teeth – are not dead – they are hallucinations.
And, no, I don’t take drugs.
After one hallucination too many, I decided it was time to find out what the hell was wrong with me. I sent a blood sample to the very reputable Raymond Hilu in Barcelona and a hair sample to Nova Detox.
Gamesman, the London-based gaming equipment and systems manufacturer, part of the Esterline Corporation, will be making its annual appearance at G2E Asia, an event which it has supported since the Macau based show was launched in 2007.
Described by Sales Director, Martin Rigby as ‘a hugely influential exhibition for gaming in the entire Asia-Pacific region,’ Gamesman go to G2E Asia, looking to build on a hugely positive start to 2017 following a successful showing at ICE in February. Martin Rigby explained: “Asia Pacific is a very significant region for Gamesman for a number of reasons. “The growing number of machine manufacturers based in Asia are looking to us for proven and reliable components as well as bespoke gaming solutions, which is a key part of our offering. It is very important to our customers in Asia that we are on the ground and accessible which is why our wholly owned manufacturing facility in the Shenzen region of China is so significant. Having such an infrastructure enables us to provide our customers with a dedicated and world class design, supply and support service.
“The legislative situation in Japan is also incredibly significant. Having a new market of such potential is of great importance to the industry and something which Gamesman is ideally positioned to contribute to. The prospects for Asia are very exciting and we look forward to meeting up with customers who travel to G2E Asia from countries including Taiwan, Korea, China, Australia and Japan.”
He added: “The Gamesman footprint continues to grow and events such as G2E Asia allow us to develop a detailed understanding of the different needs, tastes and motivations of players throughout the world. Based on that understanding our job is to develop gaming solutions for each and every jurisdiction that we are active in.”
Manila, Philippines, May 2017 – It was pandemonium at the rail of the APT Championships Philippines 2017 with local crowd favorite, Mike Takayama, taking down the Main Event and shipping in the whole shebang! Takayama outlasted the record breaking 442-field to capture the championship trophy, the APT Championship Ring, and of course, the enormous USD 105,530 first place purse. He became the fourth player to win his second APT Main Event title.
Main Event Champion, Mike Takayama
Prior to securing a Final 8 berth, Takayama was down to just five big blinds in Day 3 with 20 players remaining. He impressively turned it all around that by the end of the night he secured a Final 8 berth running second in chips. This just goes to show how incredible this victory is for the Filipino pro.
The showdowns
May 4, 2017, London: Award-winning technology and services provider BetConstruct has successfully added both Casino and Pool Betting to its B2C UKGC Remote gambling licences. This is a variation of BetConstruct’s existing remote sports betting licence, granted in 2016.
“We have worked tirelessly in growing in a number of significant regulated markets and the UK is a very important part of this for BetConstruct. We have already secured a number of high profile UK facing clients and 2017 will see this grow exponentially. Having the addition of casino and pool betting to our market-leading sportsbook will equip our partners to compete in the UK,” commented BetConstruct COO Sergey Harutyunyan.
“BetConstruct are constantly looking at new opportunities for growth and strengthen their presence in core regulated markets,” he added.
About BetConstruct
An industry supported provision that could allow additional foreign, seasonal H-2B visa workers made it through Congress as part of the government-funding bill signed by the Senate May 4.
Miss Sky Warrior’s trainer Kelly J. Breen notes the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) has a ‘Final Four’ feel, but the talent runs much deeper for Churchill Downs’ main event May 5.
Joe Turner’s versatile Sircat Sally will bring her undefeated record back to Santa Anita Park for the $100,000 Senorita Stakes (G3T) May 6.
The English Football Association (FA) is rethinking its partnerships with betting operators while also seeking to impose a ‘betting right’ on bookmakers.
On Thursday, the Telegraph reported that the FA was reviewing whether it was appropriate for the sports body to have commercial tie-ups with gambling and alcohol firms. The FA inked a “long-term agreement” with bookmakers Ladbrokes last June and the FA also has deals with brewers Budweiser, Carling and Carlsberg.
The FA has been reeling from a raft of bad press, including last month’s suspension of former Burnley midfielder Joey Barton from all football activity for 18 months after Barton’s fondness for betting on football matches became widespread knowledge (or, more accurately, became more widespread).
However, the Times reported that FA chairman Greg Clarke had ordered a review of the FA’s betting and booze bonanza at the start of the season, and that the review was not a kneejerk, CYA reaction to the accusations of hypocrisy leveled at the FA in the wake of Barton’s punishment, the duration of which likely spells the end of his colorful football career.
In this week’s Calling The Clock we bring you news of a partnership forged in heaven between Kevin Hart and PokerStars, an interview with Fedor Holz, and the reemergence of the pigeon culling Luke Schwartz.
I was waiting to see how PokerStars would react to the bunsen burner held below their ass by the positive steps partypoker seem to be making in the poker world, and when they did react, they really did react.
PokerStars reminded everyone that they are the number one online poker room in the multiverse after managing to turn Kevin Hart into a bona fide family member.
Hart is one of the most highly sought after comedians and actors in the world, and more importantly, is at the peak of his powers. Hart was competing at the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo when he arranged a press conference declaring his intentions to work alongside PokerStars to make poker fun again.
In the first major-circuit stakes of the year for 2-year-olds, Buy Sell Hold battled down the stretch with McErin and held off a late bid from Amberspatriot to win the $100,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs May 4.